iPhone loyalty in decline in South Korea

Well what do you know, I never realized there’s iPhone loyalty in South Korea, a home to two large handset makers – Samsung and LG. Apparently I was wrong and most iPhone users still prefer Apple’s hardware rather than something made by a different company. However, a decline in loyalty has been noticed.

According to a consumer report by DIGIECO or KT Economics and Management Research Institute, 53% of 416 iPhone-owning survey respondents said they would not continue using Apple’s device.

The survey was conducted among 3,763 smartphone users aged 13 to 69, and has also found that Samsung is having problems in keeping its customers happy with 35% of respondents saying they would want to use products of different brands down the road.

“It should not be misjudged, however, that the market share in the domestic market for the iPhone will likely shrink and that of Samsung will increase,” according to the research institute’s report. Samsung already dominates the local mobile phone market, while the Cupertino-based rival still has much leeway to increase its share.

Unsurprisingly, fervent iPhone fans are those in their 20s and 30s living in Seoul, its surrounding areas and other major cities.

As for the factors Koreans consider when buying a phone, about a quarter picked design, followed by brand (20%) and OS type (19.5%).